Centre Rejects 11 IAS, 3 IPS’ Plea to Stay on in Telangana

Hyderabad: In a big jolt to 14 senior IAS and IPS officers working in Telangana, including GHMC commissioner Amrapali Kata, the Centre on Thursday rejected their requests to reconsider their allocation to Andhra Pradesh cadre and allow them to work in Telangana.

The department of personnel and training (DoPT) directed the 11 IAS and three IPS officers to join AP cadre by October 16. All these officers were allocated to AP cadre after bifurcation in 2014 but some of them were working in Telangana.

The DoPT addressed separate communications to Chief Secretaries of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh about its decision and relieved the officers with immediate effect. The Telangana government has been instructed to ensure the prompt release of these officers and submit a compliance report.

Earlier, the the DoPT gave similar orders to then Chief Secretary Somesh Kumar,forcing him to join in AP cadre. He subsequently took voluntary retirement.

Somesh Kumar had managed to stay in Telangana with support of an order from the Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT). Though the DoPT filed a petition challenging the CAT order in the Telangana High Court in February 2017, it did not pursue the case. Deccan Chronicle had reported the matter in these columns in a report, ‘Centre's plea on Chief Secretary stuck in Telangana High Court’, on March 23, 2021, following which the DoPT renewed its efforts to bring the case to its logical conclusion.

The IAS officers working in Telangana and now repatriated to AP are: GHMC commissioner Amrapali Kata, energy secretary D. Ronald Rose, tourism secretary A. Vani Prasad, women & child development secretary Vakati Karuna and forests & environment secretary M. Prashanti.

Similarly, NTR district collector Gummella Srijana, Kadapa collector Siva Sankar Lotheti, G. Hari Kiran, Special CS Anantha Ramu were allotted to AP and had been serving there but challenged their allocation, when the CAT pronounced order in their favour. They remained in the neighbouring state as the then BRS government did not allow them to work in Telangana.

They have also been allocated to AP by the current DoPT order, and will continue in the neighbouring state.

IPS officers Anjani Kumar, Abhilasha Bisht and Abhishek Mohanty were allocated to AP but continued working in Telangana. Another IPS officer, Santosh Mehra, has retired from service.

It may be recalled that several IAS and IPS officers challenged their cadre allocation and obtained relief in the CAT. The DoPT, however, the CAT orders in Telangana High Court. After a prolonged litigation, the HC while setting aside the CAT orders and suggested to the Centre to give a chance to these officers to make a fresh representation to stay in Telangana.

Following objections from the officials against the DoPT order, which already took a stand against them, processing their fresh requests too, the HC directed the DoPT to set up a committee.

Accordingly, the DoPT appointed a single member committee under the chairmanship of retired IAS officer Deepak Khandekar who also upheld the DoPT orders.